Three men arrested on suspicion of murder in Woodland missing person cases

Vigil for missing teens Elijah Moore and Enrique Rios in Woodland

A small group of Woodland supporters gathered for a candlelight vigil for missing teens Elijah Moore and Enrique Rios at Cesar Chavez Community School in Woodland on Friday evening, March 3, 2017.

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A small group of Woodland supporters gathered for a candlelight vigil for missing teens Elijah Moore and Enrique Rios at Cesar Chavez Community School in Woodland on Friday evening, March 3, 2017.

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Three men have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, kidnapping and murder in relation to the 2016 missing person cases of Elijah Moore and Enrique Rios, the Yolo County Sheriff's Office said Sunday.

Two of the men were arrested Friday and the other Saturday, all near Woodland, Sgt. Gary Hallenbeck said. The men were booked into Monroe Detention Center, the county's main jail, Hallenbeck said.

He could not provide further details, but said the men were arrested on a sealed warrant "stemming from this investigation between both kids."

Moore and Rios, both former students at Cesar Chavez Community School in Woodland, have been missing since late 2016, prompting a joint investigation by the Yolo County Sheriff's Office, the Woodland Police Department and the FBI, which offered up to $5,000 for information leading to either teenager's return. Rios was 16 and Moore 17 at the time of their disappearance.

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Lola Rios Gutierrez last saw her son, Enrique, on Oct. 17, 2016. He texted her that he was under too much pressure and was going away for a while but would return, The Bee previously reported. Gutierrez said her son had left home before but always returned in three or four days.

Elijah's mother, Alicia Moore, last heard from her son on Nov. 4, 2016, when he told her he was going to California Check Cashing in Woodland. The FBI released security camera footage that confirms Moore was there. Woodland police reported that a text sent two days later from Elijah's phone to a friend said Elijah was headed to the Bay Area.

Hallenbeck expects the sheriff's office to release more information Monday.

Months after classmates Elijah Moore and Enrique Rios, 17, disappeared days apart last fall, about 50 people - friends, family, coworkers teachers and neighbors - held candles and offered tearful support for two families grasping for answers.